Edward Leon Rowny | |
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Lieutenant General Edward L. Rowny
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Born |
Baltimore, Maryland |
April 3, 1917
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1941-1979 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Commands held | 317th Engineer Combat Battalion, 92nd Infantry Division |
Battles/wars |
World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
Awards |
Combat Infantryman Badge Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (3) Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star (2) Air Medal Presidential Citizen Medal Order of Polonia Restituta - Commander |
Edward Leon Rowny (born April 3, 1917) is an American, retired United States Army Lieutenant General of Polish origin. He was a commanding officer in World War II and Korea, a military advisor to five U.S. presidents and a negotiator on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
Edward L. Rowny was born in Baltimore, Maryland on April 3, 1917 where his father had emigrated from Poland in 1912. His mother was born in the United States, her parents having come from Poland in 1887. Rowny was raised by his maternal grandmother, Adamina Radziszewski, who was well-educated, and spoke five languages fluently. She steeped Edward in knowledge of Polish history and culture particularly about Thaddeus Kosciuszko and Casimir Pulaski, Polish officers who fought in the American Revolution. She introduced him to the music and career of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the famous Polish composer, pianist and statesman.
General Rowny graduated from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, an engineering high school, in 1933. During college, as a Polish American, he chose to pursue a trip through the Kosciusko Scholarship to explore Polish culture and history in Krakow. Rowny earned a BS from Johns Hopkins University in Engineering, and holds degrees from West Point, Yale (MAs in Engineering and International Affairs) and American University (PhD in International Studies).